MOSCOW, Idaho – Spring football practice is coming to a close at the University of Idaho and coach Paul Petrino knows exactly what he wants to see when the Vandals take the field for the annual finale at 6 p.m. Friday at the Kibbie Dome. The game is live on Spokane’s SWX (6.2).

“I want them to do things right – play hard, tough. Play with great effort,” he said. “I want them to take care of the football; not have any stupid penalties. I want a lot of whacks – hopefully there’s a lot of hitting going on out there.”

That typifies spring 2013 for the Vandals, who have been developing the mental fortitude and physical resilience Petrino wanted to see.

“We’ve improved each day,” he said. “That was our ultimate goal. We wanted to come out and give great effort every single day and improve every day. It’s kind of a survival of the fittest.”

He’s seen improvement across the board from the veterans and inspiring progress from some of the newcomers – particularly linebackers Marc Millan, Juan Martinez and Eric Tuipulotu, and running backs Kris Olugbode and Jerrel Brown.

There still isn’t an answer for the ritual, ‘Who is the starting quarterback?’ question. At times, Petrino said, senior Taylor Davis appeared to have a better grasp of the complexities of his offense, while at other times it was redshirt freshman Chad Chalich who seemed in the know. Add transfer Josh McCain and freshman Matt Linehan this summer and the question expands.

“We’ll just keep battling and keep fighting and find out who’s going to get us in the end zone the most,” Petrino said.

He’s pleased that, while it may not seem so to the outside observer, neither side of the ball has been dominant over the course of spring drills.

“When you watch it on tape,” he said, “it’s more even. That’s what you want. You don’t want it lopsided. Then you have to be awful scared about that other side of the ball.

“I’m not more happy with one side than the other. They both have improved. They both need to continue to improve – a lot.”